Legend of the Dark Knights
by Poker Face William
Summary: An Earth-97 storyline that followed various members of the Batfamily, starting with the origins of the Dark Knight himself, and ending with characters first introduced in Red X Origins.
1. Monarch

_AN: This is a prequel to my prequel Nightwings not necessary but this will become a sequel to it after a while and even a prequel to Red X Origin._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics DCAU Teen Titans Earth 16 or Batman Begins_.

I sat in the stone courtyard, the clouds of the mountain covering me as I meditated. I felt the thick moisture sticking to my beard and shoulder long hair.

"Think back to that moment, that made you come here foreigner," I heard my master say from in front of me.

GOTHAM CITY 17:30 AUG 25TH 1987

I walked out the back door of the theater, all the other families having left already. "I can't believe we watched it again," My father chuckled.

"Oh Thomas, he loved it so very much, I couldn't help it," My mother said, gripping my hand affectionately.

"Money and jewlry, now! Hurry; give it to me!" A man shouted as he came out of the alley that connected to the one we were on.

"Calm down, I'll give you what you want," My father answered, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out his wallet, dropping it onto the ground. "I'm getting it, don't worry."

I watched as my father knelt down and picked up his wallet, then handed it to the blonde man.

"Jewlry too," the man said, shooting my father in the stomach. My mother collapsed in front of him before the man pulled off her pearl necklace, shooting her in the back.

GCPD 20:00 AUG 25TH 1987

"Dat kid in theres butle's coming to pick him up, ya 'ear data, 'is butle'!" I heard a man say outside of the small office I was sitting in. "Man dat kids got it good."

"He just lost his parents, no amount of money can change that," another man said as the door opened, revealing a tall man with sandy short cropped hair and thin wire glasses around his gentle blue eyes. "Is that your fathers?" he asked, pointing to my left. I looked where he was pointing and saw my fathers suit coat draped over one of the chairs. I nodded and he picked it up before kneeling down in front of me and putting it over me.

"Thank you sir," I said, about to start crying when he messed up my hair a bit and looked up at me with this e pale blue eyes.

"Call me Jim," he said, picking up a card from his desk and putting it in my fathers coat pocket. "I'm gonna catch him for you kid, but if you need anything, just call me, okay?"

"Okay," I said, breaking into tears as I hugged the man in front of me, him telling me that everything was going to be okay.

HIMALAYAS DEC 8TH 2003

"Do you remember now?" he asked, glaring down at me, his sword touching the side of my neck. "Or does your training end here?"

"I remember."

 _AN: As you can see This is a Batman origin at the moment, but its time to go in depth on this story. Please review this chapter, and maybe read the other parts of the Earth 97 universe._


	2. Escape artist

_AN: Time for some Zatar/Zatanna action_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics, DCAU, Teen Titans, Earth 16, or Batman Begins._

HIMALAYAS DEC 11TH 2003

I dangled over the deep canyon, suspended by a rope wrapped around my legs, the extra rope hanging down to bind my hands behind my back.

"Masters given me permission to cut the rope if you can't get out in time," A tall black man said from the other side of the ledge as he leaned against one of the temples pillars.

"You'll still have your punching bag by the end of this Turner," I chuckled, winking at him as I got back to undoing my hand bindings.

"Where'd you learn this stuff anyway?" He asked, leaning against the pillar my rope was tied to.

METROPOLIS 15:00 AUG 4TH 2003

I stepped off the bus from Gotham, wearing a worn out trench coat, an old blue button up, and tired gray slacks. _'If I can find the amphitheater before he gets there then my plan might work,'_ I thought to myself, pulling out an old map of the city. _'The amphitheater is next to some newspaper company called the Daily planet_.'

"Hey; watch it big guy!" I heard from behind me, drawing my attention to a young woman with black hair picking up a bunch of files.

"Oh my God, i'm so sorry," I said, kneeling down and helping her pick up the brown folders. "I'm new here, and I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's fine I guess, just try to pay more attention, okay," she said, standing up and taking the files from me.

"Um, would you mind telling me where the Daily Planet is?" I asked as she turned into the large sky scraper next to us.

"Uh, we're right next to it big guy," she answered, pointing up at the sign above her head which read in big letters around the entrance 'DAILY PLANET.'

"Oh, well I really do need to start paying attention," I chuckled, cursing myself in the back of my head. "Thank you…"

"Lois Lane," she answered, still walking into the building. "And you better remember, because I'm gonna be at the top of that building one day."

 _'_ _I'm sure I will, but in the meantime, I really need to get there before Zatara does,'_ I thought to myself quickly getting back on my way before I I noticed the large temple like building with KORD AMPHITHEATER scrawled across the top of the entrance. I sat down on the steps and waited a few housers, a few lasers by dropping spare change in front of me once in a while.

As the sun began to set, a white moving van pulled up in front of it and a young man wearing a black tuxedo and a top hat, obviously going for the traditional magician look, especially with that small pointed mustache.

"Need help moving some stuff sir?" I asked, walking around to the back of the truck, the man close behind me.

"Yes thank you," He said, unlocking the back doors as he did. "I'm actually here for a disappearing act. Since the building is being demolished in a few months the city is letting me put on a few final shows then a great escape as they tear it down in the winter."

"Really? I'm actually an escape artist in training," I said, not entirely lying. "It would be an honor if you'd take me under your wing during your time here."

"You don't exactly look like an escape artist," he said, handing me a large box that jingled a little as I carried it over to the steps.

"I know, and that's because my last teacher charged me so much that I ran out of money," I said, following the man into the amphitheater.

"I'm still not sure, do you just ask for lessons from every escape artist you meet?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow at me as we carried our boxes through the lobby.

"Well, to be completely honest, I knew that you were coming here, and I just couldn't miss the opportunity," I said, placing the man sized box down on the stage.

"Well, as long as you're willing to pull your own weight it should be fine, but I'll have to check with my assistant first," he said, pulling off his hat and placing it on the stage.

"I didn't see anyone else in the van with you," I said, looking around the room trying to see if I missed anyone as we entered the theatre area when a little girl with long black hair wearing a sparkly black dress with a little bow tie on it jumped out of the box I was carrying.

"Hi Mr, my names Zatanna, and if you wanna work for Daddy you gotta work hard!" she said, scrunching her face and leaning in to look me in the eyes. "Are you gonna work hard?"

"Uh, yes, of course I am," I said, still shocked that there was a little girl in the box. "I'll do whatever your father tells me to."

"Okay then, welcome aboard then, Mr…" she said, standing up straight to shake my hand, pausing and looking at me as she said Mr.

"My names Matches Mahoney," I said, shaking her little hand and smiling at her as she chuckled a little bit.

"That's a funny name," she said, giggling a little to herself. "But I like funny names, so I think we'll get along really well."

METROPOLIS 13:00 NOV 28TH 2003

"Nice work today Matches," Zatarra said as I dried off after our latest training technique.

"Thank you Zatara," I said, putting the lid on top of the glass tank. "So, what are we learning tomorrow?"

"I've taught you all that I have the ability to," he answered, looking up at me from where he stood, wearing his black slacks and loose white undershirt like he usually did during practice. "I'm afraid you'll have to continue your training elsewhere."

"Thank you Zatara," I said, stepping off the stage and shaking his hand. "I hope to see you again, it's been nice working with you; and your daughter."

"The same to you friend, so please, do keep in touch," he said, pulling a playing card out of thin air. I walked over to where my trench coat was hanging and picked it up, slinging it over my still damp shoulder. "Oh, and thank you for the donation Bruce."

"What?" I asked, spinning around on my heels to see Zatara lending against the stage with a sly grin on his face. "You might want to grow some kind of beard if you want to disguise yourself better."

"Thank you Zatara, and I'm sorry for lying to you," I said, looking at him as he chuckled before bursting into a full laugh, forcing him to support his weight on his knees.

"Please, you can't lie to a magician, we create illusions for a living after all," he laughed, walking up to me and placing his hands on my shoulders. "Do what you must my friend, but always remember, make your coincidences more believable; oh, and please, say goodbye to Zatann, she's taken a liking to you."

HIMALAYAS DEC 28TH 2003

I finished uniting my feet and quickly swung over to the wooden hand rail next to Turner. "Nice work Mahoney, you made it, and with thirty seconds to spare," he said, pulling me off the railing and onto the balcony. "Let's hope this is enough to convince the Master not to kill us."

"It this isn't then I'm sure our graduation battle will be enough for at least one of us to live," I said, walking along the temples balcony. "After all, we agreed to be the first Foreigners to become full fledged monks of this order."

"I don't know about you, but I'm going straight home after I'm finished here," Turner said, cracking his knuckles as we walked into the actual temple. "But it will be nice to have that prestige."

"If we live that long," I said as we walked through the other monks and into the fighting arena.


	3. Hospital

_Disclaimer: I do not own BTAS Young Justice Teen Titans, Batman Gothams Dark Knight, DC Comics or any other media used to create this story._

HIMALAYAS DEC 28TH 2003

I stood in the arena, blood dripping off my face from the last strike Turner through at me with his usual knuckle blades. He on the other hand was kneeling on the ground, blood coming off of his chest and face from the blades I had on my wrist guards.

"Looks like you win this round Matches." He said, standing up and whipping the blood off his face. "But I'm not sure more training is going to do me any good."

"Same here Turner, well at least when it comes to martial arts." I responded helping him up. "Well Master, are we ready to leave?"

Turner and I both turned our heads to look at the man sitting to our sides. "You are perhaps my greatest students yet, despite being foreigners. I am proud to say you are worthy to leave here alive."

"Hey Master, would you mind if I kept these bad boys?" Turner asked as I began to take of my wrist guards. "I've grown kind of attached to them, and I'm sure Matches feels the same about those blades."

"I did make them for the two of you after all." He said, standing up and walking towards the main building behind us. "I expect great things from the Bat and Tiger."

"What the hell does that mean?" Turner asked as we both walked towards the stairs leading down the mountain.

"Who knows Turner, but it's still nice to know he didn't think we were entirely useless." I said as we walked down the steps together, knowing we'd probably never see each other after today. "It looks like this is farewell Turner."

SOMWHERE BY THE GANGES RIVER JAN 11TH 2004

I stood in the warehouse, washing my hands of the blood from all the injured that had come in today, most of which were still here. I had only been here a week, but the amount of death and suffering was already starting to get to me.

"You okay Matches?" my supervisor asked in his usual Indian accent. "This has been a hard week so far, it's not usually like this."

"Its fine, I'm here to help people." I answered, finishing washing my hands and turning around to look at the doctor. "You know, I've been working with you for a week now and I still don't know your name."

"It's Aafreen." He answered, a kind look on his face. "You know I heard some rumors about you Matches, some of the people here believe them too."

"What kind of rumors?" I asked, curious and surprised that anyone I'd talked to about the shaman would talk. "Nothing bad I hope."

"Just that you were looking for a way to get in good with the Shaman so you could learn a few of their techniques." He said, gesturing towards the door as if saying we should leave the building. "If you want I could ask them on your behalf."

We exited the building and walked into a crowd of sick or poorly dressed Indians and turned left, going against the crowd. "From what I've heard it doesn't matter who vouches for me, they'd never accept a foreigner as a pupil."

"That's probably true, but we might as well get the option out of the way." He said right before he put his hand to my chest. "Stay here while I talk to them, they won't even talk if your too close."

Afreen walked up to three men who were wearing nothing but white turbans and loincloths who were sitting under a tent. He bowed to them and began speaking to them in Hindi, luckily I'd been studying.

"Hello Masters, I am here on the behalf of a man seeking your teachings." He began, not wasting any time with formalities. "He has spent much time helping others and learning what he can of your ways, I believe he would be a very skilled student if you were to accept him."

"Why has he not come and requested our teachings himself?" asked the man sitting at the front, his voice partially muffled by his beard.

"He fears that if he speaks to you directly there would be no chance of him being accepted." Afreen answered, trying to avoid directly answering the man's question.

"and why would a man who is good and kind fear this?" asked the one at the back left, his voice much higher than the other mans.

"It is because he is not from this land." Afreen answered sadly, apparently having run out of ways to avoid the question. "But he is not like most foreigners, he respects our culture, he's a good…"

"No foreigner is a good anything, they are worse than women!" The one on the back right shouted, his voice the deepest out of them. "leave us!"

"Of course Masters." Afreen said, bowing before he walked slumped shouldered back to me. "I'm sorry my friend, I was unable to convince them."

"It's fine Afreen, I expected this might happen." I said, looking down the alley. "I heard that there was a woman who know the techniques I wish to learn, is this true?"

"Yes, but I don't see why you'd want to learn from her." He said, his voice showing something different from hostility, but he didn't seem to want me to know. "People say that she's a witch."

"I've never cared much for what people say." I said, walking past the man. "She lives down this alley, am I correct."

"Yes, but are you sure you want to learn from her?" he asked, his voice showing concern for me. "If you did, I wouldn't be allowed to let you back at the hospital."

"I understand that, but I wasn't planning on staying much longer anyways, so why don't you introduce us." I said, beginning to walk down the alley. "Unless of course you're afraid of the big bad witch."

"I fear no woman." He said, marching past me with his chest in the air. "Well Matches, are you coming."

"Right behind you Afreen." I said, smiling as I followed him down the alley way, people staring as we did. _'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to bring Afreen along.'_

 _AN: Well that chapter was a little shaky. Sorry these first ones are a little slow, but once I get past the India section things should start to speed up. Please review._


	4. Wilson

_AN: Okay, I was originally going to write a whole thing about how Bruce learned how to not feel pain and then kicked out because he got in a fight with some random assholes, but anyone who reads my stuff knows I despise doing episode or movie based chapters, so I'll just suggest you check out the movie Batman: Gotham Knight, it's really good anyways._

SOMEWHERE BY THE GANGES RIVE FEB 14TH 2004

"I said get out!" Cassandra shouted at me, throwing the small bag I'd taken with me from the hospital. "You don't wish to get through pain, only avenge it!"

"What if that's the only way I can?" I asked angrily as she began pushing me out of the small hut.

"Vengeance is never a path that brings peace!" She shouted, slamming the shabby wooden door in my face.

 _'I was just trying to help,'_ I thought to myself, looking at the unconscious men around the building. _'Though I guess she could have taken care of herself if she wanted to. Why didn't she though?'_

4:00 TOKYO APR 4TH 2004

I drifted around the corner of the street, my current mentor close behind me as I shot down the empty alleyway.

"Nice turn Matches!" he called as the sirens blared behind us. "Also a good choice of cars, these babies are gonna catch a good profit on the black market."

"They would, wouldn't they," I said as I braked the car and spun it so it got jammed in-between the narrow walls as I was launched out of the vehicle, barely managing to land on my feet. "Too bad they're not gonna make it there.

"What the fuck are you doing Mahoney?!" Hitachi shouted at me as I walked down the street, stopping out of my hoodie and grabbing the old trench coat I'd started in, a few new wholes in it. "I taught you everything!"

"Yes, and for that I thank you, but you're still a criminal," I answered, taking out the blue tooth in my ear and smashing it on the ground. "Good luck in prison, old friend."

?

"Looks like you were right about one thing," I said, the blonde man lying on the roof in front of me taking his attention away from his binoculars.

"What was that kid?" he asked, leaning on his armored elbow. "I didn't quite catch what you said."

"Then you're never gonna hear it," I said, crouching down so that I was next to him. "That man is a pretty skilled fighter, and it looks like his moral compass is closely aligned with ours, but I'm not sure about your last observation."

"Well, we'll just have to check it out, our usual way," Cain said, getting back into his observing position. "He's heading east down the main road, I'd suggest waiting for him to be alone."

"I know what I'm doing old man," I said, standing up and pulling my black mask up onto my face, only my one good eye still visible through the navy blue fabric.

5:00 TOKYO APR 4TH 2004

Matches

I turned off of the main road and into an alley where I planned to make a call to Alfred to get a plain home, considering I'd finished all of the training I'd planned on doing. As I pulled the satellite phone from my coat pocket I felt a strange tingling in the back of my neck that urged me to mover to the right, just in time for me to dodge a ninja with a long bow staff in his hands that was now lodged into the concrete.

"Nice dodge Wayne," he said in a gruff Australian accent before using his staff to lift himself up and kick both legs at my chest which I narrowly blocked, but I was sent hard back into the wall of the alleyway, pain coursing through my forearms. "I wouldn't suggest blocking."

"Thanks for the the advice," I grunted, charging into the man and ramming him into the wall. "But my name is Matches, not Wayne."

"Sure it is," he said, punching my side, a few ribs cracking slightly around the impact point before he threw me back onto the ground. "Now why don't we get serious?"

The man ripped his staff out of the ground, the concrete ripping up around the metal weapon. I saw my chance and seized it, picking the man up off the ground and bending over backwards, his head slamming into the ground. I stood up, looking down at the unconscious man before he stood up, rubbing the top of his head.

"God that hurt," he said, squinting the one eye that wasn't covered by fabric. "I thought my depth perception was bad before."

"You talk too much," I said, punching him straight in the face before he retaliated with a strong kick to the chest that sent me back against the wall I'd slammed him against a few seconds ago.

"Maybe, but only because I want you to tell me your damn name," he said, picking his staff up off the ground and walking over to me. "So what'll it be Wayne?"

"My name, is Matches Mahoney," I said, glaring up at the man whose brown eye was glaring angrily down at me.

He raised him arm to throw the staff into my like a spear before he stopped to the sound of slow clapping. "Very good Mr. Wayne, keeping cover till the very end," A man said from the entrance to the alley. He had short cropped blonde hair and a strong jaw that complimented his pale blue eyes. He was wearing a a navy blue long sleeved shirt with armor on his torso, and his forearms. He also had on a utility belt before his navy blue army style pants, metal plating on the front of his thighs, knees, and shins that touched his black boots.

"I told you, my name is Mahoney," I said, glaring up at ht man who was now standing next to the ninja.

"You're the interrogator Wilson, what do you think?" The blonde man said, looking at the ninja who was apparently named Wilson.

"I think he's lying, but he's not gonna tell the truth, so you should either torture him, or recruit him as is," he answered, looking down at me, his one eye still filled with anger. "If you still want to recruit someone this week."

"Like it or not, he held his own with a super soldier," the man said, clapping his gloved hand on Wilsons padded shoulder. "With a little more training, he might be able to take the exam alongside you."

"I highly doubt it Cain," Wilson said, still glaring down at me. "But he's not an average man, so I guess you can start trying to train him now."

"So, what do you say, Matches, do you want to join the greatest crime prevention organization in the world?" the man asked, leaning in and looking me in the eyes.

"Tell me more."

 _AN: Thank you very much for reading, please review._


	5. Training

_AN: Time for some more in depth story._

Matches

20:24 WAREHOUSE IN TOKYO APR 25TH 2004

"What exactly are you working on over there Matches?" Wilson asked as I worked on the goggles I had on the small table in front of me.

"Trying to sink up that area view mode you installed in these goggles," I answered, placing them up to my face and turning them on, the sink still not quite right. "There's a slight delay in the right eye."

"Yeah, I didn't really think about that," he said, taking off his mask to reveal his square jaw and pale blonde hair. "You know, because of the one eye."

"Real funny Wilson," I said, making more adjustments to the goggles. "Why didn't you ask Cain to help you adjust them?"

"Cain and I don't exactly get along," Wilson answered, sitting down and leaning back in his chair. "The only reason I tolerate him is because he has connections with the League of Shadows."

"We have that in common," I replied placing the goggles against my face again, turing them on. _'That's more like it.'_

"True, you were even less happy to come under his wing," Wilson laughed, spinning a pistol in his hand. "So what do you think about his offer? Those exams are pretty soon after all."

"I'm willing to give the League a look," I answered, standing up and adjusting my armor. "But if they're anything like Cain, then I'll probably only get basic training from them."

"I might just do the same," he said, standing up so that we were at eye level. "How 'bout we get in some sparring in the meantime though?"

I nodded, walking over to the center of the warehouse where a number of mats had been laid out. I adjusted my cuffs so that the blades were fixed in place, and Wilson pulled out his staff, expanding it to it's full length. Wilson jabbed at me, walking forward a few steps, but I dodged and grabbed the staff, pulling myself closer to him before elbowing him in the face. He sound the staff out of my grip before kicking at my head, which I barely dodged, jabbing quickly into his rib. Wilson swung his staff at me, but I quickly jumped off the ground, spinning over the staff before grabbing him and kneeing him in the rib, after which I flipped away from him, landing in a defensive position. Wilson threw his staff at me, barely giving me any time to dodge the strike before he came at me with two Katanas. I caught them in-between my blades, spinning them around so I could grip them and pull my knee into his chest.

"That was a risky move, even with those gloves on," Wilson said, a little short of breath. "I guess I have to give you this one, because if not you'll probably cut off a your fingers."

"Let's call it a tie," I said, taking off my gloves and looking at the cuts in the padding. "I'll figure out a better way to protect my hands."

"I'm sure you will, you're always tinkering with things," Wilson said, running his hand through his military style hair.


	6. Caves

_AN: Sorry it's been a while since I updated this post, some shits been going on in my life, so I haven't had time to sit down and write anything in a while. But you guys don't want to hear about that, let's get to the story._

06:00 SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST MAY 3RD 2004

I pulled myself up the edge of the cliff, Wilson helping me to my feet.

"Nice view, isn't it?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled as he said so.

I turned to look out over the the massive dessert around us, only a small quiet village around for hundreds of miles across the flat landscape. "Yeah," I answered, turning on my heels and walking besides Caine who was wearing a steel helmet that covered his whole head.

"Come on Matches, I know you've never been much of a talker, but not even this can get you to say something that's not either a one word sentence, or an explanation of what you're doing?" Wilson asked walking up behind us as we stared at the cave opening.

"Shut up Wilson," Caine said, his voice at a much lower volume than it usually was when he scolded us. "We are about to enter what is probably the deadliest place on earth."

"Sounds like fun," Wilson said, pushing past Caine and I, pushing aside a few vines with his left hand. Almost instantly a spear head went right past his head and the familiar gunshot like sound of his staff telescoping outwards erupted from Wilson's right hand before the spear flew back into the cave. "So, the test begins."

I quickly charged past Wilson and into the cave, blocking two sword strikes from either side with my gauntlets before kicking the one on the left and pulling the other around so that he slammed into the cave wall.

"Nice moves," Wilson said as he walked in, Caine close behind.

"Don't let your guard down yet," Caine said pulling out his double barrel pistols. "Even under invitation, The Master doesn't like people entering his temple."

"Good," I said, turning on my infrared vision so that I could see properly in the present lighting. _'The cave appears to be lined entirely with explosives for the next few feet, except in very specific spots. If I step extremely carefully I should be able to avoid triggering them.'_

"Glad to hear you're finally enjoying this line of work Matches," Wilson said, beginning to walk past me before I put my arm in front of him. "What the hell man?"

"Bombs," I said, pulling out twelve shuriken, throwing them each in a location clear of explosives. "Follow me."

I leaped over through the the path I'd marked out, landing on a different foot each time, having to hold myself up into a handstand at one point due to the distance of the jump before I finally made it across.

"How did you know there were explosives on the floor?" Wilson asked as we continued down the cave.

"I made adjustments to your area view," I answered, throwing another shuriken at a wire set across the floor, setting off poison darts a few steps ahead of us. "It's able to detect a wider variety of heat signatures and irregularities now."

"How on earth did you find the time to do that with all the training and missions we've done?" Wilson asked.

"I don't sleep," I answered as we came up to a three foot thick stone wall, no other entrances revealing themselves to my goggles.

"What the hell is this Caine?" Wilson shouted before I decided to block out the argument, choosing instead to run my hands over the surface, feeling for some kind of loose rock, or mechanism. I looked around the cave, trying to find any evidence of gears, or hidden doors, but couldn't find any as Wilson slammed Caine against the cave wall.

"Did we bring anything do dig with?" I asked, walking past the two of them and back towards the entrance.

"There is some gear to lay mines in the truck down the cliff, why?" Caine answered, his voice at a pitch that generally meant confusion.

"We need to blow up the wall."


	7. Exlosive Meeting

_AN: Sorry I've taken so long to update again, I just moved._

07:00 SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST MAY 3RD 2004

I slowly placed the mine onto the stone wall, carefully backing away as I let it go. "Hurry up Matches!" Wilson called from further down the cave. "We don't want to be too close when that goes off!"

"I just finished placing my last mine!" I called back, starting to run down the cave before I was standing with Wilson and Cain.

"Are you sure that there's something behind there?" Cain asked, looking at me as he finished wiring the trigger and placing the control panel back on top of it.

"There's at least a few more feet after the wall," I answered, turning on my infrared vision, looking at the massive amount of explosives we'd placed.

"We'll find out one way or another," Wilson said, walking over to the control panel and typing in the activation command before Cain or I could stop him. I felt the heat of the explosion against my cheek.

"Why Wilson!?" I shouted, picking him up by his body armor and slamming him up against the cave wall.

"Come on Matches, you've gotta learn to take some risks everyone in a while," he answered, his left eye squinting from what I could only assume was a smile.

"You could have killed people!" I shouted, slamming him agains the wall again. "We have no idea what was behind that wall!"

"Part of being a merc, people die," he replied, his tone more forceful as he easily pushed me off of him. "It's time you got used to that idea."

Wilson glared down at me with his singular brown eye before Cain pushed us apart, barely budging Wilson. "Don't get at each others throats yet," he said, looking at both of us angrily before turning back towards the explosion. "Wilson's right though, you're going to have to kill someone eventually."

"I'm not a merc Cain, this is just a means to an end," I said, following him down the tunnel.

"Then you should turn back now," Cain said as we walked over the rubble, about half a dozen men crushed by it.

"It's too late for that now Cain," a monotonous feminine voice said. "You're pupils know too much for us to allow them to leave without being inducted."

The woman who was speaking was clearly asian with long black hair wearing black spandex pants and shirt, as well as a red leather jacket, and a small red utility belt with a katana attached to it. Next to her was a blonde woman with short cropped hair who was wearing dark gray spandex pants, and a matching shirt that went mostly past her elbow, and covered very little of her chest; a katana was also strapped to a similar utility belt as the other woman.

"Well put Shiva," Cain said, his posture becoming more upright and his fists clenching as if he had just entered a battle arena. "Good to see you as well Talia, it's been a while."

"Let us skip the formalities Crain," the blonde woman said, looking straight past Cain and at Wilson and I. "Are these your candidates?"

"Yes, I'd actually like to speak with your father about that," Cain said, his voice shaking slightly as he did. "There's certain information I need to go over with him."

"Of course, Lady Shiva, please escort your husband to the Heads Chamber," Talia said, still looking at Wilson and I.

"Like what you see?" Wilson asked jokingly, either winking at her, or putting way too much effort into blinking.

"Actually yes," she answered, walking up to the two of, reaching for my mask before I grabbed her wrist. "Maybe your friend will be more compliant,"

"I would've probably flipped you," he answered, his voice less joking than before. "We enjoy our privacy."

"Fair enough."

 _AN: Sorry this was a little ruff, but I'm really having issues figuring out this arch._


	8. Ra's

_AN: Sorry I haven't written in a while, i've been moving in to a new apartment, and only just got my internet setup._

6:30 LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS HEADQUARTERS MAY 3RD 2004

I followed Talia down the hall, Wilson standing on my right as she explained what the Leagues purpose was. "We will expunge all evil from the world, through whatever means necessary," she said, her voice stern, yet strangely seductive at the same time.

"Mind telling us why?" Wilson asked, Talia stopping dead in her tracks, almost causing Wilson and I to run into her. "Watch it!"

"I'm sorry, it's just that your question caught me off guard," she said, staring off into the hallway ahead. "We fight to save the world from evil, because that's what our destiny is."

"Sorry ma-am, but I'm not one for destiny," Wilson said, finally drawing Talia's gaze to him.

"Quiet Slade!" I said, looking over at Wilsons one angry brown eye, the only part of his face that was visible.

"Don't worry Mr. Mahoney, it's good for most men to have a reason to reach our goal," Talia said, facing forward again, and continuing to walk down the long oriental hall. "May I ask your reasoning Mr. Wilson?"

"That's my little secret, and please, call me Slade," he said, Talia not even bothering to look back. "Trust me though, my reason is a lot better than destiny."

"Say what you will Slade, but no reason is better than destiny," Talia said, stopping at the end of the hall and opening two paper doors. "These will be your quarters, a member of the League will collect you when the trials are set to begin."

"Thank you," I said, walking into the room on the left, bowing my head before I closed the door.

6:42 RA'S AL-GHULS OFFICE MAY 3RD 2004

Cain

"Hey, don't be so rough!" I said as Shiva pushed me through the door, shrinking back down as she glared at me. "Sorry Lady Shiva."

"Why are you here?" Ra's asked, scaring me into standing up straight and stiff, clinching my fists. I stared at his tall pointed haired silhouette, not sure what to do next. "I asked you a question Cain."

"Y-yes sir," I answered, still looking at him through the blinding light of his window. "I would like to inform you of one of my students true identity."

"… continue…" Ra's said, his head turning very slightly, stunning me for a few seconds.

"I'm sure you remember the transmission about Matches Mahoney," I said, Shiva shooting me a dirty look telling me to hurry up. "His real name is Bruce Wayne, son of the late Thomas and Martha Wayne."

"Now that, truly is intriguing," Ra's said, turning fully around to reveal his recently rejuvenated face, only the gray hair on the side of his head, and the tips of his beard even slightly giving away his age. "I can't wait to see what the young billionaire is capable of."

 _AN: Sorry this chapter was so short, but these origin ones are just gonna be that way, sorry. please remember to review, and if you haven't already, check out Nightwings Flight, and Red X Origin._


	9. Trial

_Hey, I know I haven't posted in a while, but if you follow me on Deviantart or Facebook then you've been getting character designs at least. After that Shameless plug though, I'm just gonna say I came back because it's Batman Day, and I need to update my Batman story on Batman Day. So without any further introduction, let's get into this chapter._

12:00 LEAGUE OF SHADOWS TRAINING YARD MAY 14TH

Bruce

I stood in the middle of a large training field, about fifty or sixty men surrounding me. I eyed them carefully, watching every shift of the navy blue fabric loosely hanging from their bodies. A glint of metal caught my eye from behind and to the left of me. I quickly pulled the rope from out of my sleeve and slung it across the field and wrapped around the source of the glint, pulling the girls arm so that she was close enough for me to punch her square in the jaw. A shurriken stuck into my shoulder and I grabbed the girl to throw her at the group of people that through the blades. Another shurriken flew by me, barely nicking my forehead before a fist slammed into the other side, a man grunting in pain as blood spattered onto my face.

I quickly grabbed the grunting man and threw him into the crowd before two more fists were swung at me. I grabbed the arms attatched to them, and slamming the two people into each other before turning around and kicking a man in their face. I spun to grab a mans fist, pulling him so that I could knee him hard in the chest. I grabbed a woman by her collar and launched her into a taller man, knocking a few others down as well before someone punched me square in the ribs. I angrily punched the man who'd punched me, knocking him and a few others to the ground.

I quickly ducked under the next swing and rammed my shoulder into their chest, their ribs cracking as I pushed them into another student. I quickly spun around, kicking a few people in their face before landing in a fighting position and ramming my fist into one of the last remaining students face. I slammed two others into each other before a man punched me in the back. I spun around and grabbed him by the head, gripping it tightly when I looked up at the balcony to see Cain staring down at me, his helmet still on. I glared up at him before slamming the students face into the dirt floor.

"Nice Work Mahoney!" Slade called from across the field, clapping his hands as he walked across, dressed in the same black karate outfit as me, his white hair and eyepatch visible for once. "Could of tried avoiding more of those hits, but hey, it made you angry enough to beat these guys."

"Don't you have a fight to get to?" I asked, looking at his unworn clothes and face compared to mine.

"Already finished, wasn't that hard," he said, reaching over my shoulder and pulling out the shurriken. "Though I guess you'd disagree."

"Correct," I said, placing my hand to the cut above my left eyebrow. "I might need to get a few of these things stitched up."

"Yeah, you got pretty beaten up," he said, looking me up and down with his one brown eye. "Want me to help you get there?"

"I'll be fine," I said, walking past him and towards one of the entrances to the building that surrounded the training field.

12:00 LEAGUE OF SHADOWS TRAINING FIELD MAY 21ST

I walked into the training field to see three other students standing in line. On the far left was a man that was around my height with long white hair and broad shoulders. Next to him was a short bald man who was surprisingly muscular, and apparently didn't mind showing off based on the fact that he wasn't wearing his shirt. And at the end of the line was Slade. Facing the three students were Talia, Lady Shiva, and Cain.

"Get over here Mahoney!" Cain called, his shielded eyes looking at me. I listened, and walked over there with my shoulders squared, trying to get a good look at the other students faces. "Face Forward!"

"That's enough Cain!" Shiva said, glaring at the assassin out of the corner of her eye. "Now that all the candidates are all here, why don't we begin."

"Whatever you say ma-am," Cain said, the face of his helmet looking away from Shiva. "But I thought that we were going to wait for our master this time."

"It's unlikely that he will come," Talia said, glancing over at me. "He hasn't attended one of these ceremonies since the first one failed."

"Don't claim to know me daughter," a booming voice said as a man in a green cloak and ancient Chinese armor, his hair slightly spiked, and a long mustache tipped with gray walked into the training field. "I have been observing the candidates, and I am intrigued enough to attend."

"My lord!" the three assassins said, dropping into a kneeling stance.

"My apologies father!" Talia said, her head facing downward. "I have just gotten used to your usual routine, I should not have judged you so hastily."

"It is fine my child," the man said, gesturing of the three assassins to rise as he looked at all of us. "I am very impressed with you all, but it is time for you to partake in the final challenge."

"¿cuál es ese señor?" the short man asked in a thick south American accent. "We have been facing challenges for weeks now, and we have had no warning as to what it will be."

"'e makes a good point," the white hair man said in a thick inner-city accent. "I've been trainin' with you for months now, and no ones told me nothin'."

"Silence!" the man yelled, his voice echoing throughout the training yard. "You're final test, its to kill one another, and then me."

 _'What!?'_ I yelled in my head, trying not to show my shock at what this man had just told me.

"I'm sorry, but do you really expect us to fight each other without any preparation before hand?" Slade asked, glaring at the man. "Not exactly the best way to test the skill of your successor."

"Watch your tongue boy!" The man said, the resonance of his voice increasing as it echoed. "But you are correct, I will give you one day to prepare."

00:00 BRUCES ROOM MAY 22ND

I packed my gear into a bag made from my robe and the blanket I'd been using for the past few weeks.

"Where do you think you're going?" Slades familiar gruff voice said. "I didn't think that you were the type to cower out of something."

"I'm not going to kill anyone Slade," I said, looking up at my old training partner. "And I'm not ready to die yet either."

"You don't think he'll let you get away, do you?" he said, looking me in the eye now. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man to let someone get this close to succeeding him and just let them leave."

"Good luck finding me," I said, opening up the window and stepping out. "I'm sure you'll be the first, after all, you know my name Slade."

Slade

12:00 LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS TRAINING FIELD MAY 22ND

" ** _FIND HIM!"_** the Master yelled at us after I told him that Bruce wasn't in his room when I went to get him this morning. "No one shall succeed me until he is dead."

 _Again, I'd like to apologize for not posting for so long, but hey, I'm back, and better than ever. Please review, I love getting all of your feedback._


	10. Old Friends

2:30 GOTHAM CITY AIRPORT JUNE 20TH

I stepped off the steps of the airplane and onto the air strip, a black town car parked outside, My butler Alfred standing in front of it. "It's wonderful to see you Master Wayne," Alfred said, opening the back door to the car. "Would you like to head back to the Manor sir?"

"No thanks Alfred, I think I need to head to the barber," I said, running my hands through my long black hair. "And after that a tailor."

"Are you planning on going out tonight Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as I stepped into the car.

"I was thinking of visiting Oswald's new restaurant," I said as Alfred stepped into the car. "I heard that it's the best place to pick up the lated gossip."

"I didn't know you were interested in such things Master Bruce," Alfred said as we began driving to the airport gates.

"I'll need to know as much as I can Alfred," I said, looking outside the car window at the massive city I grew up in.

6:30 ICEBERG LOUNGE JUNE 20TH

I walked into the large open white and blue colored building, ice chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and a massive iceberg in the middle, the base of which is on a lower level. "Can I have your name sir?" the man behind the front counter asked.

"Bruce Wayne," I said, faking a casual smile and looking the man in the eye. "I don't have a reservation, but I'm friends with the owner."

"Brucey!?" a high pitch nasally voice called from behind the counter. Standing there was a stout fat man wearing a top hat, a fur lined suit jacket thats tail dragged on the ground, a red vest, gray dress pants, white winged dress shoes, and holding a black umbrella in one of his misshapen hands. "I haven't seen you in ages! Let him in boy! You do realize who this is don't you!"

"I'm sorry sir," the man said, opening the red velvet rope separating me from the restaurant.

"You know you really didn't have to do that Ozy," I said, being as polite as I possibly could. "After all, I didn't even bother to make a reservation."

"Don't be ridiculous Brucey, we're school mates after all," Cobblepot said leading me across the balcony like dining room. "Besides, the whole gangs here, and we saved a seat for you at our table."

Cobblepot opened two wooden doors with ornately carved penguins in it as well as snow flakes. inside was a dark room with only a lamp over a green poker table, a large group of suited men sitting around it. Sitting on the far left was an italian man wearing a white suit who I recognized as Roman Sionis, a man who inherited a steel mill from his father. On his left was another italian in a well tailored black suit smoking a cigar who was Carmine Falcone, heir to the Falcone crime family. Helping Carmine light his cigarette was an over weight silver suited man named Salvatore Maroni, and was a lackey to Carmine even back at Miagani boarding school. At the far right was a black man wearing a black suit and red tie, who was probably the most trustworthy face in the room.

"Bruce, is that you?" he asked, standing up from the table and rousing the attention of the other guests. "I haven't seen you since high school graduation!"

"Has it really been that long Harvey?" I asked, pulling my old friend into a hug. "When did you come back to Gotham?"

"About a year ago, I was getting a little homesick," he answered, resting his left hand on my shoulder. "What about you, I come back only to find out my best friend disappeared, what's that about?"

"Sorry, I just needed some time to clear my head," I lied, shaking my head a bit. "So, how did law school go?"

"Great, had some issues working and keeping a scholarship, but hey, I made it now," he answered, spreading his hands out triumphantly.

"'Ey Dent, Wayne, this is touching and all, but do you mind if we get back to the game?" Roman said, the two mobsters next to him nodding their heads.

"Sorry Roman, I didn't mean to interrupt your game," I said, looking at the angry mans face. "Ozy said that you guys had been saving me a seat?"

"Yes Bruce, it's right in-between me and Harvey over here," Cobblepot said, sitting down next to Maroni and gesturing to the seat next to him.

"So, what are we playing?" I asked, sitting down and picking up the cards, the conversation immediately opening up.

00:30 OUTSIDE ICEBERG LOUNGE JUNE 21ST

I exited the building with Harvey followed by Sionis, Falcone, and Maroni. The two mobsters stumbled into a long black limo, and Roman stepped into a white one directed behind them.

"Looks like I'm going to be calling a cab," Harvey said as I began walking to my town car.

"What are you talking about, I'm sure Alfred wouldn't mind taking you home," I said, looking up at my friend. "Where do you live now?"

"I live on Founders Island?" Harvey said, running his hands through his short cropped hair. "Are you sure Alfred would be fine with this?"

"I'd have to ask him, but Founders isn't too far away from getting to the Manor," I said opening the door to the car. "Alfred, would you mind dropping Harvey off at his house?"

"Not at all Master Bruce," Alfred said, folding up his news paper and placing it on a stack of three in the passenger seat before rolling down his window. "Would you mind telling me what street you live on Master Dent?"

"Theodore street Alfred, and please, just call me Harvey," Harvey said, walking up to the window.

"It's no problem Master Harvy," Alfred said as I got into the town car a slides across the seat. "It's not too far out of the way from the Manor."

Harvey stepped into the car and closed the door, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "Harvey, you should try to relax," I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Besides, I had an ulterior motive for wanting to take you home."

"I should have known Bruce, you've always been less than straightforward," Harvey chuckled, shaking his head a little. "What do you wanna know?"

"I just wanted to know what an internal affairs officer is doing playing poker with two known mobsters," I said, my voice turning stern and serious.

"That was not the question I thought you'd ask," he said, his eyes widening and as he stared at me. "I guess it's really because I want to see if they slip up and give anything away for me to actually pin something on them."

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's not exactly straight forward," I laughed, leaning back in the leather seat. "I'm glad you haven't changed Harv."

2:30 WAYNE MANOR JUNE 21ST

I pulled the balaclava over my face, looking out the window at the old black motorcycle in front of me. "I'm not sure I approve of this decision Master Bruce," Alfred said, bringing me an old tool belt that I'd asked him to fill with the equipment I'd collected over my travels. "This seems extremely dangerous."

"I'm not going to do anything too dangerous tonight Alfred, just stopping a few robberies," I answered, taking the belt and strapping it to me. "Did you set up that appointment wight the head of RND and Wayne Enterprises?"

"Yes Master Bruce, though I still don't know why you'd need such and appointment," he said as I started up my motorcycle.

"You'll see Alfred."

 _AN: I hope this chapter wasn't too jumpy, but it's hard trying to connect so many story elements without making the chapters insanely long. So please review, it really helps getting your feedback._


	11. Shopping Trip

9:30 WAYNE MANOR JUNE 21ST 2004

"Fuck!" I cursed under my breath as Alfred pierced the needle through the skin on my shoulder.

"How on earth did you manage to drive all the way back to the manor after getting cut like this, and you can't handle getting stitched up?" Alfred asked, running the thick thread through my skin again.

"Adrenaline Alfred, it does some crazy things," I answered as Alfred cut the thread and whipped the wound with rubbing alcohol.

"Well I hope that, that adrenaline of yours will help you through your meeting with Dr. Fox," Alfred said, going to grab me a suit that he hung on the door knob of my large closet.

12:00 WAYNE ENTERPRISES JUNE 21ST 2004

I strode into the large open lobby of Wayne enterprises, people walking past me, talking on their blue berries and bumping into me as I made my way to the front desk.

"Hello, I need to find the R&D department," I said to the young black haired woman behind the desk. "I have an appointment with Dr. Fox."

"Okay, let me see if I can find you, what's your name sir?" she asked, putting her hands onto the black keyboard in front of her.

"Bruce Wayne," I answered, smiling and pulling out my ID.

"Sorry Mr. Wayne," she said, pulling out a drawer and scrounging through a pile of ID cards including visitor, press, employee, CEO, and a singular owner tag. "Here you go sir, do you need help finding R&D?"

"No thank you, I remember where it is," I said, clipping the tag to my jacket breast pocket and walking over to the elevators on the left of the lobby.

12:10 WAYNE ENTERPRISE R&D DEPARTMENT JUNE 21ST 2004

I stepped out of the elevator and walked into the large basement level room that was filled with various vehicles, body armors, and gadgets. "Dr. Fox!" I called, my voice echoing off of the concrete walls.

"Can I help you?" a familiar voice asked as a tall black man walked out of one of the halls of gadgets holding a box with grappling hooks, what looked like collapsing shrunken, and a yellow utility belt.

"Lucius, it's good to see you again," I said as he put the box on a small metal desk. "It's been a long time."

Lucius stared at me, squinting his eyes for a second before he opened them extremely wide. "Mr. Wayne, is that you?"

"The one and only," I said, spreading my hands out and smiling cockily. "But I'm actually here on business today Dr. Fox."

"Of course Mr. Wayne, what would you like me to help you with?" he said, spreading his arms and gesturing at the entire basement. "As you can see we have quite a few things that we're no longer selling to the public."

"Well I've gotten really into combat sports, and I was wondering if you had any combat armor I could use," I said, Lucius' eyes widening again. "Preferably something that's flexible as well can take some pretty heavy shots."

"How heavy of shots are you talking about Mr. Wayne?" Lucius said, still staring at me.

"Well the sports i'm into can range from knives up to maybe some bullet fire," I said, trying to sound like I was joking.

"Well we do have a few things like that, but they didn't quite pass testing against heavy machine fire," Lucius joked, smiling a bit. "I could show it to you if you'd like."

"Why not, might as well," I said, chuckling a little bit. "I probably won't actually take it, but I might as well see what you've been working on."

"Then follow me Mr. Wayne," he said, leading me down the aisle he'd come from when I came in the room. "I'm actually disappointed that the armor didn't preform up to our expectations, but there's really not much we can do with our funding being downsized."

"Really, R&D used to be Wayne Enterprises most profitable department," I said, cocking my eyebrow at Lucius.

"The new CEO doesn't put much stock in it R&D, so he obviously cut almost all of our projects," Lucius said before stopping in front of a mahican wearing dark gray body armor with an oval raised above the other wise human shaped armor over the chest. "Well, here it is Mr. Wayne."

"What's wight he oval?" I asked, placing my hand over the thick rubber like armor. "It seems a little out of place."

"Oh that, it has the thickest armor so that your heart is more protected," Lucius answered, grabbing a form that was on the shelf next to the armor. "It actually pasted the machine gun test, but it was too obviously thicker armor so all of the practical tests failed."

"If you made it a brighter color than the rest it'd probably draw fire to it," I said, looking at a thin metal helmet placed next to the mahican on the shelf. "What's that for?"

"Oh that's a side project I was working on that could be used by riot police in place of their current helmets, but it was deemed too intimidating," he answered as I pulled it off the shelf, looking at the form fitting shape that went all the way down to the nose on the front, and all the way down the face on the rest of it. "I think I'll take both of these if you don't mind."

"Not at all Mr. Wayne, after all, you do own it all," he said, a hint of confusion in his voice as he did. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Do you happen to have a parachute?"


	12. Building an Idol

23:25 MIAGANI ISLAND JUNE 21ST 2004

I dropped onto the roof of a small building over looking a back alley, a gang of thugs standing below me. "Where you guys gettin' all these guns?" one of the thighs asked, picking up what looked like a semi automatic assault rifle.

"What does it matter?" another one with a bird like logo sewn onto the back of his jacket answered. "All that you need to know is that we deliver."

"Fine, how much you wannin'?" the first thug gesturing for another one to come forward with a black brief case.

"2 G's," the second thug said cockily, audible groans from the other thugs.

"Last month it was half that much!" the first thug said, pointing the gun at the second thug who just laughed in his face.

I quickly jumped down, grabbing the first thugs gun and kicking him back into his friends before a barrage of bullet fire came from behind me. _'Shit!'_ I thought before ducking under the bullet fire and grabbing guns as well as throwing thugs into one another. After all of the thugs were taken out I dropped to my knees. I struggled to stand up and run back over to where I'd parked my motorcycle where I called Alfred from.

"Alfred, I need you to call the GCPD and tell them that there was an illegal arms trade at my location," I grunted, leaning onto my motorcycle. "I'm going to head back to Wayne Tower and see if theres anything I can use to patch myself up."

"Are you okay sir?" Alfred asked over the phone, his voice faltering slightly.

"I'm fine Alfred, just a few scratches," I answered, struggling to get onto my motorcycle.

"Then you can simply come back to the Manor sir," Alfred said, the concern in his voice obvious. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Alfred, I'll be home soon," I said, hanging up the phone and starting up my motorcycle.

23:50 WAYNE ENTERPRISES BASEMENT PARKING JUNE 21ST 2004

I drove into the parking garage before falling off of my bike, sliding across the ground, almost unconscious.

"Mr. Wayne, is that you?" Lucius' voice asked as a pair of strong arms helped me to my feet. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Guns," I answered, speaking as sternly as I do to Alfred instead of my usual upbeat voice. "Do you have a medical kit anywhere here?"

00:30 WAYNE ENTERPRISE R&D DEPARTMENT JUNE 22ND 2004

"I knew that you weren't using these things for a new sport, but I never imagined you were a vigilante," Lucius said, dropping another bullet he'd taken out of my shoulder into a metal bowl. "You probably should have asked for more."

"I didn't want to be so suspicious," I answered as Lucius began stitching up the last of my wounds. "After all, you already realized I was lying to you."

"Well now that I know, what else do you need?" he asked, glancing up at me over his glasses, a slight smile on his face. "After all, anything that will make it easier for you to make Gotham safer."

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at the older man, surprised that he was so calm about this. "It's not exactly legal to do this."

"I know the law Mr. Wayne, but I realize that Gotham is in a bad enough place that it needs someone like you," Lucius said, cutting off the the thread and finessing the stitches. "Especially, if they're well equipped."

12:00 WAYNE ENTERPRISE R&D DEPARTMENT JUL 24TH 2004

"Mr. Wayne, I wasn't quite expecting you yet," Lucius said as I walked into the basement like room that Lucius had been building things for me in during the past month. "I was just finishing up your transportation."

"Thank you Lucius," I said, looking at the long car getting what looked like a jet engine placed into the front by the white shirt wearing Lucius. "Do you think that will be easy to maneuver in Gotham?"

"Shouldn't be an issue Mr. Wayne," Lucius said as the engine clicked into place. "The jet engine will only activate when you press a particular button. Speaking of, It will be quite a task learning all the necessary buttons to use all your, gadgets."

"Would you mind giving me an instruction manual after you show me the suit," I said, looking over to a large metal cylinder.

I pulled the cowl over the top of my face and rubbed my hand against my chin. "Why not cover my entire face?" I asked, looking down at the yellow oval encircling the bat like symbol. "And why did you make me look like a bat?"

"You said to make you intimidating, and I've always found bats quite threatening myself," Lucius answered. "However, I wanted to make any one you happen to rescuer feel more comfortable knowing that you're human."

"Good idea Lucius." I said, opening up the cockpit of the jet black vehicle. "After all, criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot."

 _AN: Sorry that this story is so short, but I'm a little stressed for time at the moment. Please leave a review, and check out my deviant art page to see the bat mobile drawn in my style._


	13. Enter Fear

_Happy halloween Blackjacks, I'm sorry that I can't give you a good halloween themed chapter, but I still decided to give you an update on my favorite holiday._

19:30 WAYNE MANOR AUG 3RD 2004

I straightened my bow tie in the mirror of my office when Alfred walked in. "Your guests have been waiting for you to join them for quite a while Master Bruce," he said expectantly.

"I'm a playboy Alfred, I can't exactly be punctual," I said, putting on a fake grin. "So, how do I look?"

"Like a young billionaire with too much free time," Alfred said frankly, opening the door behind him and gesturing for me to exit. "Now if you don't mind sir."

"Not at all Alfred," I said, walking out of my office and into the small hallway, bumping into a well built man. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine, it's my fault anyway," the man said in a surprisingly familiar voice. "Bruce Wayne?"

"In the flesh," I said, spreading out my arms and smiling cockily. "You're Captain Gordon aren't you?"

"Yes," the sandy haired man answered, adjusting his glasses and beginning to walk back towards the party with me. "I must say I was rather surprised to receive your invitation."

"Since the Commissioner was busy at Mr. Falcone's annual dinner, I decided why not have a respected Police Captain instead," I answered casually, resting my hand on the other mans brown black suit jacket. "Did you bring your wife Barbara?"

"No, she's too busy with JJ," he answered, running his hands through his hand through his hair nervously. "I wish I could've stayed in myself, I've been killing myself with this ridiculous case the Commissioner has me working."

"What case might that be, if I'm allowed to know?" I said, stopping at the double doors that lead to the ballroom.

"He has me working not he reports of this 'Batman' that's been beating up thugs lately," Jim answered, leaning up agains the red painted wall. "I'm convinced he's just trying to keep me away from his gang of corrupt cops."

"Corrupt cops?" I asked, doing my best at failing ignorance. "I'm not sure I should be donating to the GCPD if there are corrupt cops in it, especially not the Commissioner."

"Forget I said that, please, there are still good cops who need all the help they could get," Jim said, standing up straight, looking up at me hopefully.

"Don't worry Jim, I wouldn't dream of depriving the police of my donation," I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Now what do you say we rejoin that party."

I stepped up onto the stage and walked up to the podium, Alfred standing closely behind me. "Hello, I'm glad you could all make it," I began, smiling down at the room. "I'm sure you know me, or have at least heard my name on the news. For those of you who have been living under a rock though, Let me tell you about myself. My name is Bruce Wayne, and though I was born and raised in Gotham City, I haven't been much of a permanent fixture these past few years. I only just came back to the city I love, but I must say that I am disappointed. Gotham used to be one of the greatest city's in America, but since I've left things have changed. Crime and unemployment have all gone up, and the orphanages in the city hardly have enough money to take care of the kids they already have, let alone all the new ones that are made every day. Now I know that money can't fix all of this, but it definitely won't hurt. As of tonight I am officially Starting the Martha Wayne, and Thomas Wayne Foundations in honor of my parents, two people who loved Gotham City more than any other people I've known before." The crowed was silent for a while, looking up at me with surprised looks on their faces. "Again, thank you all for coming to drink all my good whine and champagne!"

The room was still silent as I walked off the stage, two reporters standing at the bottom of the stairs. On my left was a tall man with wire frame rectangular glasses, well groomed black hair, a strong jaw, and a notepad in his hands making it quite obvious that he was Jack Ryder. Standing next to him was a slender woman in a red cocktail dress, her blonde hair loosely draped over her shoulders, a black tape recorder in her left hand.

"Mr. Wayne, would you like to elaborate on what the Martha and Thomas Wayne Foundations will be helping with?" the blonde said, pushing the button on the recorder.

"Of course," I said when the glass of the windows behind us shattered, grenades tailed by green gas flying into the room.

People began screaming and running around the large room, giving me enough time to run into one of the closets and rip off the Velcroed on suit to reveal my new uniform. I pulled the cowl over my head, pulled a gas mask out of my utility belt, and stepped back out into the room just as the main double doors opened, a scrawny man in a torn up suit and a scarecrow mask walking in.

"Hellow Gotham officials!" he yelled, spreading out his arms to the sky as everyone began freaking out even more and a gang of gas mask wearing thugs charged in. "And you must be the mysterious Batman. Nice to meet you, I'm Scarecrow."

Scarecrow raised his hand, the thugs pointing their guns at me as I continued to walk towards Scarecrow. _'There are about five thugs in total, all of the carrying guns, and all of them wearing gas masks. Scarecrow however doesn't appear to be armed at all, but he cold easily be hiding a gun somewhere on his person. I can get off four batarangs before grappling the thug furthest from the bosses gun and taking him out. That should give me enough time to take out the other thugs and then disable the box.'_ I thought to myself, stopping so that I was surrounded by the thugs.

I threw the batarangsat the thugs, grappling onto the thug behind and to my right, pulling the gun away from him and turning around the punch him square in the face so that he fell to the ground. I then turned around, charging at one of the stunned thugs. I ripped out the guns magazine, and slammed the but of it into the thugs face before throwing it at the next thugs head so that the barrel landed square in the middle of his forehead. I jumped and rolled over to the last two thugs, grabbing one of them by the neck and slamming him into the other thugs head. I spun around, grabbing Scarecrows shoulder when I felt a syringe go into my neck. I quickly through the scrawny man to the ground and ripped the needle out of my neck, looking at the now empty syringe.

I walked over to the laughing man, turning him over and picking him up off the ground by his collar. "What did you inject me with?!" I yelled, glaring angrily at him when his face morphed into that of the man who killed my parents. I dropped him and jerked back in shock, rubbing my temples through my cowl.

"It's something I like to call fear toxin," the man laughed, his voice distorted so that it sounded like hundreds echoing in my ear at once. "And soon enough, all of Gotham shall taste it!"

Scarecrow walked past me and throughout the double doors, laughing as he did. I tried to turn around and follow him, but as I began to turn my head I saw my parents dead bodies laying on the floor, and then I saw them again. As I turned around in circles all I could see was their dead bodies lying there.

I ran through the main doors, the walls turning into Crime Alley as I got closer to my office. Once I reached the door I kicked it open and threw the desk aside to reveal a wooden trap door. I pulled the door open and slid down the old metal latter before I landed on the stone of the caves that my ancestors had used to help with the underground railroad.

 _"It's your fault!"_ I heard my fathers voice say as I curled up on the ground, trying to block out the hallucinations. _"If you hadn't wanted to see that damn movie again we'd still be alive!"_

 _"Oh you're too kind Thomas,"_ My mother said, a hint of joy in her voice. _"We would have lived far longer if he'd never been born."_

 _"You know I could live with him getting us killed if it wasn't for the fact that he was waisting our money on this full hardy vigilante nonsense,"_ My father said bitterly.

"I'm sorry…"

 _Well damn, I really do love to torture poor Brucey, don't I. Well that's it for tonight, please review it really does help me make the story better, and as always, thank you for reading._


End file.
